Cannes Caméra d’Or Winner Anthony Chen Begins Production on ‘We Are All Strangers,’ Completing His ‘Growing Up’ Trilogy (EXCLUSIVE)

Exactly 12 years after winning the Caméra d’Or at Cannes with his debut feature “Ilo Ilo,” Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen has begun production on “We Are All Strangers,” the third and final film in his acclaimed “Growing Up” trilogy.

The project reunites Chen with actors Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler, who starred in both previous installments of the trilogy, 2013’s “Ilo Ilo” and 2019’s “Wet Season.” Set in contemporary Singapore and spanning two and a half years, the film is Chen’s most ambitious work yet – an epic story capturing intimate moments of love, life, and coming of age in the city-state.

“I filmed Jia Ler at 11 and then again at 17, so it felt like a natural step to capture him approaching adulthood,” Chen said of his continuing collaboration with the young actor.

The director explained his thematic focus: “I have always been fascinated by the bonds and intimate connections struck between strangers and how kinship can develop beyond blood ties. The idea of constructed families is a theme I have explored in both of my films. In ‘Ilo Ilo,’ it was between the Filipino maid and the young Singaporean boy she cares for, while in ‘Wet Season,’ a teacher and her student form a family unit with her half-paralysed father-in-law. This time, strangers are forced to become family.”

Yeo, who won Golden Horse Awards for her performances in both previous films (best supporting actress for “Ilo Ilo” and best actress for “Wet Season”), recently appeared in the Netflix action film “Havoc” alongside Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker. Koh has earned two Golden Horse nominations for his work in Chen’s earlier films.

“We Are All Strangers” is produced by Chen and Teoh Yi Peng through their Singapore-based production company Giraffe Pictures, with backing from the Singapore Film Commission and the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. Principal photography is currently underway in Singapore and scheduled to complete by the end of May.

Chen has built a varied résumé since his breakthrough. Following “Ilo Ilo” and “Wet Season” (both of which represented Singapore as official submissions for the Academy Awards), he made his English-language debut with “Drift,” starring Cynthia Erivo, which premiered at Sundance in 2023. That same year, his first Chinese-language feature “The Breaking Ice” premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and became Singapore’s Oscar submission.

As a producer through his Giraffe Pictures banner, Chen has nurtured other Asian filmmakers’ work, including Kirsten Tan’s Sundance winner “Pop Aye” (2017), He Shuming’s “Ajoomma” (2022), Sorayos Prapapan’s “Arnold Is a Model Student” (2022), Neo Sora’s “Happyend” (2024), and Tumpal Tampubolon’s “Crocodile Tears” (2024).